Manchester’s 12-year-old snowboarding prodigy Tomski Robinson is hoping to follow in the footsteps of sporting giants Wayne Rooney and Andy Murray after being nominated for the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award.
Murray and Rooney are former winners of the prestigious award and the young British Snowboard Cross champion is hoping to emulate the stars when the awards come around.
The nomination has come as no surprise to GB Junior Team Coach & BASI Snowboard Director Ben Kinnear, who cannot speak highly enough of one of his star pupils.
“Tomski savours every moment of coaching he has access to,” said Kinnear.
“He takes home ideas and outcomes and develops them with the ferocity of an established full time athlete with the maturity of someone twice his age.
“Tomski frequently contacts me to get advice on how to push every aspect of his training further, with the hunger of someone who is obviously happiest when challenging and progressing.”
Only the final three nominees (announced at the end of November) will go to the awards in Leeds next month and an invite would be a welcome distraction for Tomski who is currently recovering from a dislocated elbow.
The youngster sustained the injury at an Austrian training camp following an awkward landing while trying to perfect his double back flip technique during a trampolining session.
Tomski, who attends Wellacre Academy in Trafford, will be out of competition for six months with the injury but has begun his rehabilitation less than two weeks after surgery.
Marshalled by GB Strength and Conditioning Coach John Noonan, Tomski is undergoing a full rehabilitation, fitness and nutrition programme aimed at preparation for the World Junior Championships in 2015 and Youth Olympic Games in 2016.
Kinnear admits that such a professional programme are still alien to a lot of young British snowboarders but hopes Tomski can adapt to such a schedule.
“Tomski must respond to a very quickly emerging and highly competitive training environment,” added Kinnear.
image courtesy of BBC via YouTube, with thanks
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook
